NY Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin is headed to the 2023 NHL All-Star Game
Ilya Sorokin is an NHL All-Star.
It was announced during the first intermission of Thursday's Edmonton Oilers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning game that the Islanders goaltender will join Igor Shesterkin of the New Yor Rangers as the goaltending tandem for the Metropolitan Division at the All-Star Game on Feb. 4 from Sunrise, FL.
Heading into Thursday night's match-up against the Buffalo Sabres, Sorokin was fifth in the NHL in GAA (2.30) and third in SV % (.925). His three shutouts are one behind Washington's Darcy Kuemper for the most in the league. The 27-year-old has carried the workload for the Islanders this season, appearing in 34 games, with 32 starts. Despite his stellar numbers, he holds a record of 15-14-3
When it comes to advanced stats, that's where Sorokin's numbers jump out. His goals saved above expected are significant higher than the other Vezina Trophy candidates, but that is also a product of him playing under much tougher circumstances on a nightly basis as the Islanders continually allow a steady number of high danger shots giving Sorokin the ability to make the harder than average saves.
Sorokin is one of 12 additional players - one goalie and two skaters in each of the four divisions selected through the 2023 NHL All-Star Fan Vote, which ran from Jan. 5-17. A portion of the fan vote was a Twitter vote, which ran from Jan. 12-14.Β